Perpetual Spring: the Second Song
by TabzChewy
Summary: A newcomer that deeply unsettles the other shinigami returns to Seireitei. Takes place during current story arc in the manga. Some spoilers for the manga. Discontinued. Cleansing Showers will take its place.
1. Meristem

**Perpetual Spring–the Second Song**

**Meristem:**

"Kuchiki-dono, you need not concern yourself over this stranger," the old man set the tray down gently. "I will make sure that she is fully recovered so she may return from where she came from."

"It's fine," Byakuya did not get up from the unconscious shinigami's side. "I have no duties tomorrow. I want to question her when she awakes."

The old man bowed out, "As you wish, Kuchiki-dono."

Byakuya picked up the cup of tea from the tray and stared down at the girl on the futon. Her shinigami uniform had been removed so she was only in her nagajugan with her eyes closed peacefully. Her zanpakuto lay beside her. Its sheath was a deep ocean blue and the hilt was bound with a pure-white fagoting pattern. The hilt guard was a type of white gold in the shape of a lotus. She wasn't dead. Byakuya had made sure of that, and her chest was rising and falling steadily.

It had been a shock when he almost ungracefully tripped over this girl during one of his late night walks in his blooming lotus garden. There should not have been anyone in his gardens, except possibly Rukia. Except, Rukia was now in the sixth division prison. Byakuya had put her there himself. But, the detail that was gnawing at Byakuya was the unconscious girl's features.

It had been difficult to see in the darkness when he was bringing the girl into one of the many empty rooms in the Kuchiki mansion, but he would have dropped her if he had seen her features while carrying her. The girl's face was practically a carbon copy of Suiren's. Her hair was even of about the same length–down to the knees. If she opened her eyes, he would have expected to see the clear aquamarine that he had seen so many times in Suiren's eyes.

"Who are you?" Byakuya whispered. His fingers reached to touch the girl's cheek, but he withdrew them before they made contact. It was unseemly to touch a stranger unless they were fighting. Byakuya paused before getting up in a quiet swish of his haori. He needed to calm himself. He needed to take a walk outside to clear his head. Byakuya took a final glance at the girl before closing the door with a quiet snap.

The girl's eyes opened abruptly, but she made no move to get up and listened for the possible return of Byakuya's footsteps and watching the dark wooden beams above her head. After being reassured that Byakuya would not be returning, she sat up, stretching her arms. She had the smooth agility of an athlete and it was evident when she stood up and bent backwards, forming a D when her hands reached her ankles. Next, she tested out her legs by sliding her right leg up and holding it up, forming a perfect vertical split. She did the same with her left leg.

_Everything in order,_ she thought. _Now...where's my stuff...?__Urahara-jii's going to pay for this..._

During her small stretching session, the girl had not heard the footsteps approaching the door. Byakuya slid open the door again. He had come to retrieve his tea and he fixed his gray eyes on his unknown guest.

The girl turned, startled, and her warm brown eyes met Byakuya's gray ones.

She stared at him, her mouth had fallen open slightly from surprise, "Um... hajimemashite?"

The water wheel of fate had begun to turn.

* * *

Vocab: nagajugan--white Japanese underclothing worn under the kimono. Hajimemashite--literally "let us begin," and equivalent to "nice meeting you" I suppose. 

Please leave a review! I love them!

Hello, everyone! This is, as you probably realized, the (hopefully long awaited?) sequel to _Withered Flowers_. I really did start writing it the weekend I promised, but I decided (28 pages into it of all things) that I didn't like how it was formatted, and how it was appearing to turn out. So, after finishing my last college application, I scrapped _Perpetual Spring, _and began _Perpetual Spring--the Second Song._ :) I hope you enjoy this very short first chapter! Some may be curious about why I added Second Song, and perhaps whether it has any symbolic importance. It actually doesn't. I just thought of "the Second Song" because I was thinking of kido spells and another friend's plans to use it in his own fanfiction.

Regarding the title of this chapter, "Meristem." It's an AP Bio word that I had to get from a friend who is more or less of an expert on flowers (b/c she seems to just be an expert on everything...) and it is the shoot of a young flower or plant.

I also need to notify you of a mistake that I made all the way in _Withered Flowers._ I realized I did the kanji wrong for Suiren's name. It was actually 水蓮. The other kanji I used, 連, actually meant "ripples." My apologies everyone! The author is a little kanji-illiterate. :)

Thank you for starting _Perpetual Spring--the Second Song_! And, again, please review, I really appreciate them!


	2. A White Bud

**A White Bud:**

Byakuya watched the girl as she ate the rice as if there was no tomorrow. She grabbed the bowl of miso and gulped it down, but almost choked. The girl poured herself a cup of tea instead and downed it.

"Spicy!" she gasped before tucking into the rice again. She avoided the spicy miso entirely.

"Who are you?" he finally asked. "What were you doing in my home?"

She paused from eating and opened her mouth to answer, but she suddenly had the look of a goldfish. "Um...who am I? Well..." she ran a hand through her long black hair. "That's a very good question actually...and what was I doing in your house? That's another great question too. They're especially good questions because–"

"They would no longer be questions if you answered them," Byakuya answered coolly. He was struck again by her evasions from his questions. It was exactly how Suiren answered when she really had no intention of answering and this girl, like Suiren, even began to wrap her long hair around her long slender fingers.

"Well, you see, they're especially good questions because... I don't know the answers?"

"Don't play me for a fool," Byakuya began coldly. "What division are you from? How come you had a shinigami's clothes? What about your zanpakuto?"

"I don't know!" the girl's voice rose slightly before faltering again. "I...only remember what might be my name."

"'What might be your name'?" Byakuya repeated. "Well?"

The girl closed her eyes, and she appeared to be struggling, "The first kanji is 'hasu' for lotus...and the second kanji is 'shiro' for white. Hasushiro? Hasushiro." She nodded sagely. "That sounds about right. Hasushiro it is."

_Did she just make up that name now?_ Byakuya wondered suspiciously. "Hasushiro? Are you sure?"

The girl, Hasushiro, laughed, "What a silly question! How would I know? It just sounds familiar. But, it sounds like a nice name, so I don't mind. What about your name, nii-chan?"

_Nii-chan? _Byakuya would have stiffened, but her voice and features reminded him too much of Suiren. The title was almost natural as it rolled off her tongue. "Kuchiki. I'm Kuchiki Byakuya."

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, Bya-kun," Hasushiro grinned. "I'm glad you found me! Who knows what would have happened to a pretty girl like me out on the streets! So, what do we do now?"

"We?" Byakuya asked stiffly. "The only think I can do is to take you to the medics to check on you. After that, you'll have to find your own place to live."

There was a crash when Hasushiro dropped the cup she had been holding and grabbed Byakuya by the shoulders, "What?! You're...you're kicking me out of here? But...what if I starve? What if I die? What if someone kidnaps me and I'm never seen again? Don't you have any compassion for a pretty girl like me? What am I going to do?!" she wailed. "I don't even know if my name is my name! I don't even know where I am! Is this Bangladesh? Maybe it's Hawaii!"

Byakuya removed her hands from his shoulders, "You need to relearn your manners–"

"Don't do it, Bya-kun!" Hasushiro had not heard a single word he said before she locked his head into a half-choke. "Don't be so heartless! Let me stay here! I'll do anything! I'll clean your loo! I'll...I'll even cook! I don't know how, but I'm sure I could learn! Do you want me to massage your hands? I'll brush your hair for you! I'm probably good at that! My hair is nice and soft!" She shoved a fistful of hair into his face.

"Enough!" Byakuya's voice rose. "Stop it! Release me!"

Hasushiro let go, "You're going to let me stay!"

"Only if you never do that again!" Byakuya answered shortly, but thoughtlessly. He instantly regretted it.

"Yay! I get to stay!" Hasushiro cheered before grabbing Byakuya again in a hug. "Hey, so where do I sleep? Can I sleep with you?"

"What?" Byakuya was taken aback by her last question. "You can't just–"

"It's probably more comfortable sleeping with another person anyways," Hasushiro was totally oblivious to his attempts to interrupt. "Where's your room? Is your futon big enough?"

"Listen to me!" he grabbed her arm. "While you are here, you will follow my orders! You will have a separate room from me and you will not barge in wherever you want! Do you understand me?!"

Hasushiro had understood, and, to Byakuya's sudden guilt, her face dropped and she hung her head, "Yes, sir... it's just... I feel like I'd be more comfortable with some bulk next to me, y'know?"

_Did she just call me...bulky?_ Byakuya's eyebrows were knit together.

"Where's my room?" Hasushiro asked dejectedly and she blinked rapidly, as if something was in her eyes. "I'll just...you know...sleep by myself and all... I really don't want to, you know... it feels sort of... scary."

Byakuya froze while he was opening the door to outside, "'Scary?' Why?"

Hasushiro hugged herself and shivered slightly while her eyes had a strange faraway look, "I... I don't know. I just really don't want to have to sleep alone..."

To a certain extent, Byakuya was aware that she was most likely manipulating him. It was as if Hasushiro knew his greatest weaknesses...almost as if she knew exactly what in the past was dearest to him. His suspicions were struggling to rise to the surface, but at the same time, Byakuya was struggling to keep them down. Deep down, he also wanted to believe that his closest friend had returned from the dead, that she had returned to him after her strange and suspicious fight with the Hollows in Karakura town forty years ago, that Suiren, who had managed to read all his moods and habits, would be there again to laugh at and scold him, to help him decide what was the right path was at trying times like this...

But, that was impossible. It was only a coincidence that this girl was Suiren's mirror image. Perhaps the girl was one of Suiren's ancestors, such things could happen in Seireitei. It was much more possible than what Byakuya was hoping for now.

"Hey...Bya-kun, daijoubu?" Hasushiro peered up at him, and her soft white hands touched his forehead, as if she was feeling for a fever. "You seem ok..."

Byakuya backed away stiffly, his face appearing even more distant than usual, "I'm fine."

Hasushiro smiled, "So, what're we going to do? Can I sleep next to you for the rest of the night?"

Byakuya opened his mouth, then closed again, then opened it, but all he could say was a cold, "Do what you wish." A phrase he always reserved and used indulgently for Suiren.

"Yes!" Hasushiro leapt at him, and flung her arms around his neck. "I don't think I snore! Do you snore?"

"Nobles don't...snore," Byakuya replied, his face devoid of expression.

"That's good!" Hasushiro pinched his cheek. "Ne, Bya-kun, don't you have feelings or something? Your face is so frozen! Smile! Smile for Hasu-chan!"

"Stop it," Byakuya swatted her hand away. "Don't be so familiar with me." He opened the door to his own room, "You will only be allowed to sleep on your own futon."

Hasushiro either ignored him entirely or did not hear him, she crawled onto the futon, which had already been set out, and curled beneath the blanket, "Oh... this is nice! There's plenty of room for you, Bya-kun!" she patted the copious amount of empty space next to her. "I'm not fat!"

The look on Byakuya's face was almost a grimace, "I will call for another–"

"What's the point of that?" Hasushiro complained. "I'm not going to kill you during the night."

"You," Byakuya said, "are too carefree. I will not sleep in the same place with a girl I don't know."

Hasushiro pouted, "That's mean, Bya-kun. I have the intent of being friends with you, so it should be alright."

"No," he uttered with finality.

"Are you going to call a servant?" Hasushiro asked. She was sitting up with his thick expensive silk blanket wrapped around her. "Why don't you just set it up yourself? You don't need servants for everything."

"It's what they're there for," Byakuya answered coldly.

"Fine," she stood up, and released the blanket, letting it fall with a muffled thud. "I'll do it for you. Since you don't want to share the futon with me, I'll set up my own. Where is it?" she strode over to a random set of sliding doors, and slid it open. A futon was folded neatly inside. "That was easy..."

Byakuya watched her silently as she hauled it out herself and unrolled it a foot apart from the one that had already been set up. She folded a blanket neatly on top with a pillow. "There? Happy? So picky...Which one do you want?"

Byakuya promptly lay down in the one that Hasushiro had so rudely intruded on and turned, so his back was facing her. Hasushiro watched him quietly before blowing out the candles that lit the room.

Many times, Byakuya was tempted to turn to see if she had fallen asleep, but he could not bring himself to do so. He did not want to appear _too_ worried over a stranger. It was unbecoming of a noble. He closed his eyes, and eventually, his breathing became shallow and even.

Hasushiro got up quietly from her futon after being reassured that Byakuya would not wake up from small noises. She sat down beside his futon with her knees up to her chin, and her fingers gently brushed away a strand of hair from his face. Byakuya barely stirred. Hasushiro leaned in closer. She wanted to curl beside him, like from so long ago, and listen to his heart beat slowly and steadily. The rhythm always lulled her into a gentle and deep sleep.

"Ne, Bya-kun," Hasushiro murmured softly. "Do you remember me? Do you even realize who I am?" She smiled ruefully, and pulled a corner of his blanket up higher. "Even if you don't, I remember you. I only forgot for a little while... but I remembered it again. But, even when I didn't remember, I still missed you. Somewhere, I knew that I was looking for you. You and... Shiro-chan. But, I still can't remember everything, so I can't tell you anything yet. I promised myself and Kisuke-jii that I would pretend so _he_ doesn't find out. It's for our own good, and, hopefully, we can save Rukia-chan too," Hasushiro sighed and she pulled back the blanket again. She crawled in carefully, and she curled up in her formerly customary spot besides Byakuya. "I want to help you too, Bya-kun. You need it most of all." Hasushiro sighed again, this time much more deeply, and closed her eyes. "I just wish I could have helped you all these years too..."

* * *

**Please please review this! I love reading them, but I can't read them if they aren't there:( **

**Vocab time!**

-"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" is literally "please take care of me", something Japanese people use when they finish meeting someone for the first time.

-"Nii-chan" is a very very familiar form of "older brother." For those who don't read the manga, Rukia refers to Byakuya as "Aniki" or "Onii-sama" which are very respectful and formal term for older brother. Hasushiro uses a very familiar term, and for those unfamiliar with Japanese culture, being too casual can be considered rude, especially between strangers.

-"Daijoubu?" is "Are you ok?"

**Author notes/commentary/and everything I might've forgotten:**

I'm personally a little disappointed with this chapter. I mean, I have my reasons for making Hasushiro as friendly and open (and sometimes as obnoxious) as she is right here, some of which the majority of you beloved readers probably have already guessed. However, I will not confirm your very good suspicions until later on. :) I'm also very worried about how Byakuya is/may be out of character, but I've half reassured myself by saying that other fanfics make the characters waaayyy out of character even more than I have. Not that I'm criticizing those fanfics, if they're well written, a little slip of character isn't a bad thing. So anyways, I'm guilty too. I actually had this chapter written awhile, but, out of greed for reviews, I waited a bit before posting this chapter. I actually have a much harder time writing this fanfic than writing _Withered Flowers_. I had actually been planning out that particular story for a while in my head, but I never considered doing a fanfic on it until a friend introduced me to this site. With _Perpetual Spring_, I don't quite have a clear vision of the ending, and I'm not sure what's going to happen, and how it's going to happen, so for those of you who value plot above all things, I'll have to apologize. The road this story is going to take is highly unstable, and mostly unknown. :(

Other than that, I'd like to clear up something things people might not have realized, and this is basically a disclaimer. I don't own Bleach or its characters, but I own the characters of Suiren, Tohru, and Hasushiro.


	3. Bloom

**Bloom: **

Byakuya awoke mostly from the strange feeling that his right hand was going numb, possibly from that strange bump under his arm. He heard a slight groan from close by. Hasushiro. Only, that sound was coming from too close by.

Byakuya's eyes opened, and he saw her ebony hair fan out from behind her. At some point during the night–perhaps out of habit–his arm had fallen over her to form a protective barrier at her back. Byakuya began to edge away from her as gently as he could without waking her before stopping. He turned and brushed the hair that had fallen over her face out of the way and examined her face carefully. The same porcelain skin, the same pert nose, the same lips that smiled too easily, even when their owner had something to hide. The only different thing, Byakuya noticed when he brushed her hair aside, was a faint tattoo on her neck. Byakuya lifted himself slightly and leaned in to get a closer look. The tattoo had a green sepal beneath wide light blue petals and a yellow stamen. A blue lotus.

Byakuya fell back and he felt tempted to laugh hopelessly as he pushed back his own raven-black hair.

_Pathetic,_ he thought as he stared up at the ceiling. _Forty years... fifty years... it doesn't matter. I just can't let go of either of them and move on... what's wrong with me? This girl is just some bystander, some stray cat that crossed my path that looks like the stray cat I picked up before. _

Byakuya moved to get out of the futon and the blanket shifted slightly.

"Whaz goin' on?!" Hasushiro bolted out of the bed, Byakuya noticed, with surprising agility. Almost as if she was used to having to jump out of bed at the smallest warning.

_What is she really?_ Byakuya wondered as he watched her shake her head slightly, as if drunk. _To have reactions that fast..._

Hasushiro rubbed her eyes, and glanced at Byakuya, who had been pulling on his black kimono, "Ah, ohayo, Bya-kun! You woke up already, huh? I thought I felt something weird. Are we going anywhere?"

"I thought I told you to sleep on your own futon. And your clothes are over there." A neatly folded stack of a black hakama and kimono lay beside Hasushiro's unslept futon.

Hasushiro pursed her lips while rummaging through the chest, "You're such a killjoy. It was more comfortable climbing in with you than sleeping there myself. And, you lied. You were snoring so loud all night! I just barely managed to fall asleep! And you drooled in my hair, and you started grinding your teeth in the middle of the night! It was so uncool!"

Byakuya frowned at her, "Liar. Hurry up and get dressed. We have to eat breakfast and I have to take you to go see someone."

"Who? Who?" Hasushiro pulled on the kimono over her nagajugan, and then the hakama over it.

"Do you have anything for my hair?" Hasushiro twisted a strand around her finger. "I don't like it down all the time."

"There's some pins in the drawer to the side."

Hasushiro pulled open one of them and took out a pair of long sleek silver hair chopsticks that Byakuya was not even aware he had. He watched, almost fascinated, as she placed the chopsticks at the bottom of her hair and, in one fluid motion, twisted her hair around it until she reached the base of her neck. She then pushed them into a different part of her hair so it formed a loosely elegant bun at the back of her neck.

Hasushiro turned and smiled at him before grabbing his hand, "Let's go eat!"

Byakuya nodded stiffly, but his fingers twitched slightly, almost as if he was going to grasp the slender hand that was holding his warmly.

"Ne, Bya-kun, how come you have so many girly stuff, like the pins and things? Do you dress in drag and stuff for fun?" Hasushiro asked eagerly. "If you do, I want to see it, sometime! You'd probably look like a really beautiful woman! You're really graceful and your features are really defined!"

Byakuya's features underwent some sort of a spasm at the suggestion, "They were my wife's."

"'Were'? Where's your wife?" her hand tightened around his slightly.

"She...died. Quite some time ago."

Hasushiro paused for a moment, staring up at his distant face, she took his hand in both of hers and squeezed it gently, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

Byakuya continued walking, pulling his hand away from Hasushiro's, "There is nothing to be sorry about. She died a while ago. Fifty years, to be exact. It's pointless to mourn over her. When those dear to us die, mourning is only a pointless gesture. They can see nothing here."

Hasushiro didn't move. "Just because they can't see it, it doesn't mean it's pointless. Mourning is for the one who lost something too. It's a way of acknowledging to yourself that a person you loved died. It's for us to say our final goodbyes."

Byakya stopped and stared to stare at her coldly, Hasushiro's own brown eyes met his, almost defiantly, "And, if we never wanted to say goodbye to begin with? What then?"

Hasushiro smiled faintly and took his arm, "That's what the mourning is for too. To force yourself to let go. You've been holding on for fifty years. I think your wife would be really unhappy that you've been moping for so long. I know I would be really annoyed if someone I loved kept moping the entire time. There's just a certain point when you have get over it," she suddenly slapped his arm. "Enough of the talk about mourning. It's a beautiful day, and you were going to take me somewhere after we had breakfast! Now, hurry up! I'm really hungry!"

Byakuya let her pull him along while occupied with his own thoughts. _There's just a certain point when you have to get over it._ Hasushiro sounded as if she knew exactly what she had been talking about, but, if she had no memories, how could she speak it so simply but truthfully?

"Wow!" she skidded to a stop and Byakuya nearly walked into her. "You really like lotuses, huh, Bya-kun?"

Byakuya followed her gaze into the entrance of the gardens. The pond full of lotuses was in plain sight.

"That... was for a friend."

"Oh really? Am I going to go meet her?"

Byakuya shook his head, "She died... forty years ago."

Hasushiro peered up at him, "Was she your girlfriend?"

Byakuya's cheeks turned a very faint shade of pink, "No. I never had that kind of a relationship with another person after... my wife passed on."

"What was your wife's name?" Hasushiro stepped down to approach the lotus garden.

Byakuya hesitated, and the pause hung in the air. He felt almost... afraid to say her name. It was as if saying her name would dredge up the pain he had tried for so hard to suppress for fifty long years.

"Hisana," he finally answered.

"Hisana," Hasushiro said it slowly, as if she was testing the feeling of the name on her tongue. "It's a pretty name. She was lucky to have you. Even if you're moping, you've still thought about her a lot. I would've liked to have someone think about me that much..." she bent down by the edge of the pond and fingered a lotus petal. "These are really nice. Especially that one... the one in the center. It's really... it really stands out."

Byakuya stood by her, "Do you like these as well? You have a tattoo on your neck, don't you? It's a lotus."

"Huh?" Hasushiro looked up at him, puzzled. "I've got a tattoo? On my neck? What's it look like?"

"It's right here," Byakuya bent down beside her, and pushed aside a few stray strands of hair. "I saw it this–turn your head."

Hasushiro obeyed, and Byakuya held her chin while he peered closely at both sides of her neck. No tattoo. Not even a birthmark of any sort.

"Your shoulders, pull back your kimono," Byakuya ordered.

"What?" Hasushiro's eyes widened. "That's going too far! I'm not going to do that!"

"I just want to check!" Byakuya replied shortly, with his hands on the kimono collar. "I swear I saw a tattoo this morning!"

"Stop!" she squealed, laughing slightly as he touched the sensitive spot between the shoulders and neck. "That tickles, and I'm not going to take my kimono off!"

"Don't be silly," he said impatiently. "Just pull the collar aside a little."

"No, stop!" Hasushiro stumbled back on her feet, and fell straight on her back, but tried to grab Byakuya to stop her fall. She, instead, pulled them both down with a thump with her eyes squeezed shut.

Hasushiro opened a cautious eye after a moment, and she saw Byakuya's gray eyes and nothing else. They had landed in a heap with Byakuya on top. Byakuya was also staring at her. No lotus anywhere.

There was a dry cough behind them, "Kuchiki-dono. Hasushiro-dono. Breakfast is ready."

Byakuya scrambled up, flushing ever so faintly while Hasushiro turned beet red and got up from the ground. He turned and only glanced at Hasushiro, "Come along. We can't be late."

"It was your own fault if we are," Hasushiro grumbled under her breath. "You shouldn't try grabbing my clothes next time."

Byakuya faced forward again, but his hand covered his face to prevent anyone from seeing the light pink patches on his cheeks. If anyone did, he would only blame it on the dawn light.

* * *

Vocab: I don't think there are any...if there are, feel feel to ask me personally :) 

Please review! I really need something to look forward to everyday after school :)

Chapter commentary: The chapter commentary won't actually focus on this specific chapter only. It'll actually focus on the general story. I basically want to apologize for the next few chapters. I won't really hit on an original plot until chapter 10 (I think?). What I was/am planning to do is catch up with the manga (which actually took a lot longer than I thought...) and explain (sort of) what has been going on for the past 40 years since Suiren died. My apologies to the readers. I just sort of feel the need to elaborate more on Byakuya's relationship with Ren and what his relationship was with Suiren since their relationship didn't get much attention in WF. To warn you now, also, PS is going through some testing stages. I will be attempting things that I've never actually written out before because, before, when I tried, they sucked. This includes romance scenes and fight scenes. So, for those of you who liked my WF style (yay!) I could really use some feedback on whatever you think needs improvements. I've tried going through the story and cutting out unnecessary stuff, but it never seems to work. I feel like everything's necessary because I wrote it. I hope you all understand what I'm trying to say. I think, in the barest of terms, I'm selfish. I'd rather keep everything I have written than to save you all the torture of going through badly written stuff. My deepest apologies :( It's a bad habit I'm trying really hard to get rid of. And, if anyone has a remedy to this strange narcissistic disease, please please please leave a review! I could use all the help I can get!

In this chapter, as usual, I struggled with Byakuya's and Hasushiro's relationship. I wanted to keep him as the cold aloof aristocrat, but I also wanted him to melt a little because he probably feels at least a little emotion for a girl who looks exactly like his dead best friend. Regarding reviews about how Byakuya should have been angrier, I sort of agree but I sort of don't at the same time. If it was some other total stranger, he probably would've kicked them out by now, but this girl bears an uncanny resemblance to his best friend who was always there to help him out when he needed it. Maybe he feels some sort of duty to Suiren and feels that he's fulfilling it by helping out Hasushiro. Please tell me how well (or how badly :) ) I've managed to accomplish this in a review! But, regarding this chapter (and many more to come unfortunately) I feel like there's lot of extra things I don't actually need so I don't particularly like the first few chapters. They all seem like fillers that elaborates more on character relationships than plot.

But, other than that, thanks to the returning readers from WF for reading PS too (haha, PS2?...). And for new readers, thank you very very very much for giving me a chance and testing out these stormy waters. I appreciate the readers and the reviews they leave, so please leave me a review!


	4. Unfamiliar Familiarity

**4. Unfamiliar familiarity: **

"Open your eyes wide and don't blink, please."

Hasushiro obeyed and Unohana, the fourth division captain, peered into them, occasionally gently tilting Hasushiro's head at various angles. Her gentle fingers felt along the base of Hasushiro's skull and along her entire head. After at least a half hour of this, Unohana finally stood back.

"I'm sorry, Hasushiro-san, Kuchiki-taichou. I cannot appear to find anything wrong. Your memory loss may be psychological, but I am fairly sure it was not physical. I can find nothing irregular about your body. You are a perfectly healthy young woman," Unohana smiled gently. "I am sorry I could not help you anymore."

"That's fine," Hasushiro grinned from her seat. "I'm kind of wondering whether or not I really want my memories back anyways. What if I had to leave here because of them?"

"I'm sure your memories are not something as serious as being forced to leave Seireitei," Unohana reassured her with a motherly pat on the back. "And I am very sure Kuchiki-taichou would do everything in his power to allow you to stay."

Hasushiro watched Byakuya doubtfully as he stayed silent, "I'm not so sure about that, Retsu-sempai. He's not the nicest person in the world."

"Address her with more respect," Byakuya interrupted sternly. "Call her Unohana-taichou."

Hasushiro gave Unohana a knowing look, "See? He doesn't even call me by my name."

"Which might not even be your real one," he muttered.

"And he talks to himself," Hasushiro continued. "Bya-kun's kinda weird."

Unohana smiled again, "If that will be all?"

Byakuya nodded and Hasushiro hopped up and bowed deeply, "Arigato, Retsu-sempai!"

As they stepped out of the fourth division headquarters, Hasushiro grabbed Byakuya's kimono, "Ne, Bya-kun, where are we going now? What do you do all day?"

Byakuya gave up trying to pry her fingers free and ignored the looks some of the shinigami that were passing by were giving him, "I normally go to work. Unohana was the fourth division captain. I'm the sixth division captain."

"Let's go see the sixth division then!" Hasushiro cheered. "It has to be close by right? The fourth is right here!"

Byakuya almost sighed. Even only after less than a day of knowing Hasushiro, he could already tell what she was going to want and do. Suiren was just as impulsive and curious, especially when she had been his kuhai. His daily life later on had ceased to amuse and interest her because she spent most of it with him. Hasushiro, if she failed to regain her memories, would probably be close to the same. It was almost like seeing the former tenth division captain in Hasushiro every time he looked at her.

"Ne, Bya-kun, who's that guy with the funny eyebrows?" Hasushiro tugged at his sleeve. "His hair is so red!"

"That man is Abarai Renji, my fukutaichou," Byakuya answered. "He will be in charge of the division today."

"Huh? Why?" she asked. "If you're captain, aren't you supposed to be in charge?"

"I have received a day off," he replied. They were nearly in front of the fifth division now. "I normally would be in my office by now if I had duties to report for."

Hasushiro giggled behind him. Byakuya paused and looked over his shoulder, "What's so amusing?"

She snapped a mocking salute, "Nothing, sir! I just think it's weird how you're so formal and proper–sir!"

Byakuya continued walking, "I only act as is befitting of my position."

"Kuchiki-sama!" Renji had finally seen his captain, he bowed deeply. "I thought it was your day off!"

"It is, Renji," Byakuya nodded coldly. "I have come at the insistence of this person." He turned to beckon to Hasushiro. However, even though he did not show it, to Byakuya's intense surprise, Hasushiro was no longer behind him.

"Uh...Kuchiki-sama, who're you looking for?"

Byakuya was still staring at the spot he expected to Hasushiro before he shook his head sharply, "Nothing. Take care of the office today, Renji."

Renji bowed again, "Yes, sir! Please enjoy your day off!"

Byakuya swept around again to retrace his steps. He was not aware that he had walked so far without hearing Hasushiro walk away. He, once again, was wondering what exactly she was. It was rare for anyone to move with enough speed or stealth to slip past him, even rarer that it was a non-captain ranked girl who did not even remember her own name.

It did not take long to find Hasushiro. She was standing directly in front of the fifth division headquarters with a strange expression on her face and her hands clenched at her sides.

"What have you been doing?" Byakuya asked sharply. "When did you stop?"

Hasushiro seemed to snap out of her trance and glanced up at him, blinking and shaking her head, "It's nothing. Let's go."

"What's bothering you?" Byakuya did not move. He watched her carefully.

"Weird vibes," was the short reply before Hasushiro pulled at his arm. "I don't feel like staying here. Let's go home."

Byakuya was thrown off, "I thought you wanted to see the sixth division."

"I don't feel well," Hasushiro's voice was tense. "I can always go some other time."

Byakuya allowed her to drag him away while studying her face. Her complexion seemed to have drained of its color and her lips were pressed in a tight thin line. Her grip on his arm was tight and unyielding and if she held on any tighter, her nails would have cut into his skin.

When she stopped, Byakuya nearly tripped over her.

"I need a workout," she was muttering. "Exercise, exercise...ne, Bya-kun, where do we exercise here?"

"What sort of exercise?" Byakuya asked. He instantly berated himself for asking. The only exercise in Seireitei was zanjutsu, shunpo, or hakudo. It was a stupid question.

"Eh? What else? Yoga and maybe some aikido," Hasushiro glanced at him, puzzled. "What do _you_ do? Kendo?"

"What's 'yoga'?" Byakuya asked, not letting his puzzlement slip past his stern mask. "And aikido?"

Hasushiro stared openly at him, "You've never heard of yoga?" she grinned wide. "Come on then! We'll have to go get some tatami from home and you can take me to wherever you exercise! Let's go! It's best to do it during the morning!"

She pulled at his arm again, and began to run with Byakuya in tow.

And, somehow, Byakuya found himself lying on a tatami on the grass, staring up at the bright blue sky of Seireitei.

"This is the corpse pose!" Hasushiro was sitting beside him like a cat. "You have to lie here for about five minutes and clear your mind. Relax your body and breath evenly. Ok, Bya-kun? Don't fall asleep though! Otherwise I'll have to wake you up!"

Byakuya obeyed and he could hear the grass close by rustle softly. Hasushiro had lay down too. The minutes past but Byakuya's head was anything but clear. His thoughts ranged from Hasushiro's real identity to Rukia, who was sitting in prison, while he lay on the ground.

"Sit up slowly," Hasushiro's voice came in softly from his side. "And lean forward..."

They went through the routine slowly but, to Byakuya's embarrassment, he made small mistakes that Hasushiro discreetly adjusted. When they finished the final corpse pose, Hasushiro sat up and leaned over.

"What's on your mind?"she asked softly. "You've got something bothering you."

"Nothing," Byakuya looked away. "This is my first time doing such a strange routine."

"Liar," Hasushiro answered sharply. Byakuya looked up with surprise in his eyes. "You couldn't even calm down during the corpse pose. Your breathing was uneven."

"It's nothing," Byakuya repeated. "There's no need to concern yourself over such a small thing."

Hasushiro caught his sleeve as he got up. Byakuya looked down her, but could find nothing to say.

"If you've got something you need to say, say it," she urged gently while pulling him down to sit again. "It'll make you feel better. And then, you won't toss in your sleep."

Byakuya looked into her eyes. They had the same understanding that Suiren had so often given him, even if they were an entirely different color.

"I made two promises," his voice was low, almost as if he was talking to himself. "I promised my wife that I would protect her sister fifty years ago. I found her little sister, and I adopted her into our family. It was against the family rules, just like it was against the rules to marry a commoner. I broke both of them. But I swore...I swore on my parents grave that I would never do it again. I would never break the rules again." He stopped.

Hasushiro's hand was on his knee and she squeezed it comfortingly, urging him to go on silently.

"I caught her in the material world," Byakuya continued. It was as if he could not stop himself. The words just kept flowing past his normally locked lips. "The Central 46 have sentenced her to death for treason. I swore to never break the rules, but what am I supposed to do? I promised Hisana, but I promised my parents. Which promise do I keep?"

Hasushiro was quiet for a moment while watching Byakuya, "What's your sister's name?"

"Rukia."

Hasushiro smiled up at the sky as, to Byakuya's surprise, she leaned her head against his arm, she wasn't tall enough to reach his shoulder, "Where are you going to get your answer?"

"If I knew that," Byakuya replied shortly. "I would not be having this problem right now!"

Hasushiro looked up at him, "You love Rukia, don't you? You love her to the point that you would defy the government for her, but you honored your parents too. Well, there's only one choice."

Byakuya glanced down at her, "What is it?"

"Huh?" Hasushiro met his look, puzzled. "Isn't it obvious? You should save Rukia."

"How is that obvious?"

"Bya-kun...a government's laws change. A promise to your wife doesn't. You can appeal to the Central 46. Rally some of the other captains. There has to be _some_ sort of a loophole."

Byakuya frowned at her, "How can you say it so simply? A piece of scratch paper from the Central 46 can be law. I cannot just stride in and demand that they release her."

"Who's stopping you?" she asked innocently.

Byakuya almost let out an uncharacteristic sigh, "No one, and I mean, _no one_, is allowed into the Central 46 chambers."

"Petitions can get through, can't they?" Hasushiro continued to probe.

"Petitions don't apply to treason."

Hasushiro snapped her fingers, "Why didn't I think of this earlier? Obviously, you rescue her. Kidnap her from wherever she is right now, and smuggle her out. And then, pretend you don't know anything!"

"You're too idealistic," Byakuya replied, getting up.

"Maybe you're just being difficult on purpose," Hasushiro retorted.

"I know my boundaries," he answered cooly. "There is only so much a noble can do, and rescuing my adopted sister out from the most prestigious prison in Seireitei is not one of them."

"As stubborn as usual," she replied with a pout. "You never change," she added under breath.

"What?" Byakuya asked. "I didn't hear you."

"I didn't say anything!" Hasushiro amended quickly. "So anyways, what kind of exercise do you do?"

"Zanjutsu, hakudo, and shunpo," Byakuya replied. "But, I want to see this aikido you were talking about. Show me."

Hasushiro grimaced, "You're so bossy. And it's not all aikido. I mixed in some taichi too." But nonetheless, she got up, "It's a martial art. I'll need you to help. Come attack me."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow, "How?"

Hasushiro sighed, "Why's it matter how? Just do it. Come on."

Byakuya raised his hand half-heartedly and held his fingers together so it almost formed a human spade. He struck at her with a speed that seemed entirely normal for both of them, but incredibly fast for the regular human eye.

He was once again looking up at the sky.

"You ok?" Hasushiro's face came into his vision. "Hit your head too hard?"

It took Byakuya a moment to register what had happened. He, Byakuya, had been flipped by a simple twist of the wrist, and was now laying in the grass, half-stunned by the sudden movement.

He sat up, and brushed her aside, "I'm fine."

"That's good," Hasushiro sighed with sudden relief. "I don't know why, but I feel like last time I did this, something really bad happened. I wouldn't want to get pinned down with hurting a noble, especially my host. I'd never want you to get hurt." She uttered her last sentence with such sincerity that Byakuya nearly smiled up at her, he managed to catch himself the last moment.

Hasushiro held her hand out, "Come on. Get up and show me what you can do."

Byakuya didn't take her hand, but she did not seem especially put out by the fact.

"I have something similar," he murmured, while pulling Senbonzakura out from his waist. "Hakudo and shunpo, combined."

His fist moved fluidly through the air, much faster than many eyes could see, and it was aimed straight at Hasushiro's solar plexus.

Hasushiro twisted fluidly, so she twisted straight past Byakuya's hand, "A little too slow, Bya-kun." Her long fingers grasped his wrist again, but this time, in a flash of black, her right leg kicked straight up, and her foot was heading right into Byakuya's face.

Luckily, he still had one hand free, and shifting on his feet slightly, so her foot just barely missed his face, he grabbed her hand to twist it back. Byakuya had been so focused on restraining her arms that he did not notice her foot slam down onto his.

Byakuya stumbled back, and managed to catch her elbow just as she swung it back, but she stopped it just as the tip met his hand. This was all he needed. Grabbing her elbow, his foot stepped in to step onto her ankle. In a rough scratching sound, she shifted her feet so his own foot came down on the soft ground. This did not deter Byakuya. He released her, stepped back, and disappeared.

Hasushiro's eyes widened, and she twisted promptly to see where he had disappeared to. Shunpo, there was no mistake about it.

"You would be dead if this was real. Senbonzakura would have cut you down," Byakuya's hand lifted her by the back of her collar into the air. "Luckily, it is not."

Hasushiro's feet dangled in the air while she giggled, "You took so long to use shunpo. But, lucky you, if this were real, you'd be dead too."

Byakuya noticed for the first time, one of the hair chopsticks pointed at the base of his neck. If Hasushiro had been careless, and he had moved a millimeter more, he would have had a silver hair chopstick in his neck. Byakuya dropped her, and she landed easily, "What are you really?"

"Me?" Hasushiro stared up at him, falsely innocent, while fixing the chopstick back into her hair, "I'm just your normal pretty girl that loses her memory once in a while. Nothing too extreme. Ne, Bya-kun, let's go get something to eat! I'm really really hungry! I could eat a horse!"

"We have no need for horses in Seireitei," Byakuya replied with a raised eyebrow while picking up his zanpakuto.

Hasushiro grimaced while hooking her arm around his neck, "I was making a joke, Baka-kun. Let's go, let's go, let's go!"

"Are you some sort of animal?" Byakuya did not disengage her arm. "We ate less than two hours ago."

"Hungry hungry hungry!" Hasushiro trilled.

Byakuya pulled himself free, "Follow me."

Hasushiro saluted behind him. However, before she followed him up the grassy slope of the training ground, she look a last glance back. Her face softened into one of affection, and her hand inched up to her neck, covering the lotus that had just begun to fade back into view.

"Not yet," she whispered to herself. "Just wait a little longer..."

"Hurry up," Byakuya called from in front of her.

"Coming, coming!" Hasushiro whipped around, and ran after him.

* * *

Vocab: I must've missed it because I didn't find any... 

Please leave a review! I get so excited when I get emails from fanfiction :)

So, I, this is my opinion mind you, that after this chapter, the story starts getting a little better, so please bear with me. I'm really grateful for those who _have_ stuck with me for so long. I personally would've been really impatient. The biggest reason why I took so long to upload this chapter even though it was already written was because I had piano exams, and in attempt to put business before pleasure, I haven't gone online for about two weeks unless it was to check for college letters.

Anyways, please bear with me to the next chapter! I think it gets better but maybe I'm saying that since I don't really like the yoga thing here (and hopefully me writing fight scenes will get better too. Does anyone have suggestions for how to write them? I really need them! If you do, please leave a review:) I'd appreciate it!)


	5. The Black Cat and the Strawberry

**5. A Black Cat and a Strawberry:**

"Welcome home, Bya-kun!"

Byakuya felt a weight slam into his body as soon as the door opened to the Kuchiki mansion. A weight he had continually felt for the past week and a half, no matter what time it was.

"How was work?" Hasushiro's feet dangled a few inches above the ground. "Busy? Did you find the ryoka?"

Byakuya shook his head, "I'm tired... let go, please..."

"I'll give you a shoulder massage!" Hasushiro cheered.

"No!" Byakuya nearly leapt a yard back. "I'm quite fine. I don't need a shoulder–a shoulder massage! It's too much trouble for you."

_I don't need to feel like I have thumbscrews in my back_, Byakuya thought, _is probably more accurate._

"I don't mind!" Hasushiro answered brightly. "It's the least I can do!"

"No! I'm fine!" Byakuya held her at an arm's length. "I have an early start tomorrow, and it's late."

"Alright," Hasushiro looked more than a little crestfallen. Why didn't Bya-kun want her famous shoulder massages? Her brother had loved them when he was at home.

When Byakuya sat down for his dinner, Hasushiro sat on the other side of the table, waiting expectantly.

"So, what happened today?" she asked eagerly. "Did you catch the ryoka? What do they want?"

Byakuya sipped from his cup of tea, "We had a meeting, and the fukutaichou have been called in as well. It appears as if someone in Seireitei has been taken hostage. Everything is in chaos. People have been releasing their zanpakuto all over the place. It's difficult to tell things apart now. As for the ryoka...it seems as if they after...Rukia."

"Rukia?"

"The only shinigami there... he is supposed to be dead. He should not even be a shinigami."

Hasushiro leaned in, her hands clenched in her lap.

"He stole Rukia's powers when she was in the material world," Byakuya continued, not noticing her sudden change in mood. "I would recognize his outlandish hair anywhere. It stands out like a torch."

"You seem really calm about this," Hasushiro picked up the tea pot and refilled his cup. "You aren't."

Byakuya looked at her over the brim of his cup, "I don't understand."

"You know perfectly well what I mean," she answered, settling down the pot. "You said it before. You want to rescue Rukia, but you have a promise to keep to your parents too. This is the perfect chance to save her, but do you do your duty to Seireitei and catch the ryoka?" Hasushiro set her elbows down the table, "I say, let them come. Let them do their worst. Let them rescue Rukia. Go patrol somewhere else, Bya-kun, and use them to let you keep your promise."

Byakuya set his cup down again, "Why do you care so much? You have never even met Rukia."

Hasushiro tucked some stray strands of hair behind an ear, "If it means not having to deal with your tossing at night, I'm willing to do a lot. But besides that, look what I learned to do with my zanpakuto!"

"Have you learned its name yet?" Byakuya asked, as he picked up his chopsticks.

Hasushiro made a face at him, "You always ask just to goad me, don't you?"

Byakuya swallowed his rice, "After all that help I gave you, you still can't even learn the name?"

"I was working on drawing it today!" Hasushiro defended herself.

Byakuya choked, and slammed his chopsticks down. The memory of their first practice fight with zanpakuto had been an unforgettable one. Byakuya had drawn Senbonzakura with the elegance and ease of a practiced swordsman; Hasushiro had gotten her zanpakuto stuck in its sheath.

Hasushiro pounded on his back, perhaps harder than necessary to unlodge the rice.

"You're so mean," she pouted. "I didn't laugh at you when I tossed you the first time."

The beginning of a rare smile from Byakuya vanished instantly.

"So anyways, I was looking through your books today, and I found this!" Hasushiro slid a photo across at him. "The lady looks kind of familiar, and the paper it was folded in was really morbid, huh? 'Bya-kun, if you're reading this, then I'm definitely dead.' What a way to start out a love letter. And, I thought you said you and Suiren weren't dating."

Byakuya picked up the photo, his face sliding behind its indifferent mask again, "Who gave you permission to go through my books?"

Hasushiro tipped her head, "You did. Remember? The night you had sake? Anyways, it fell out when I was going through your book on horticulture. She's not as pretty as Hisana was."

Byakuya stared down at the photo, the single woman in the picture was grinning while clutching a stuffed bear and her fingers formed a peace sign. It was a good picture. Suiren's expression had been one of a person without a care in the world. Little would she know that her life would end abruptly a week later.

Byakuya sighed, "Do you have the letter?"

"Right here," Hasushiro waved it just outside of grabbing distance. "So, tell me the truth, were you and Suiren really not dating? Her letter kept hinting at something, but I couldn't really catch what. It's like there's a subliminal message underneath it all."

"Please give it back," Byakuya said softly. He held his hand out. "That letter and the photo is all I have of her." It had been a while since he had taken it out and read its words.

Hasushiro stared at him, a strange twisted expression on her face, "You did love her," she murmured, handing the letter back.

"She helped me more than I could say," he replied, taking the letter gently. Its paper had yellowed, and he took extra care to not damage it. Byakuya avoided Hasushiro's scrutinizing gaze. "She helped me after Hisana passed on."

"Then who helped you after Suiren passed on?" Hasushiro asked quietly.

Byakuya did not answer, but tucked the letter and photo into his kimono.

Hasushiro got up abruptly, "I'm going to bed." She left, and she was sure no one would see anything in the darkness. Hasushiro reached up to cover her neck, which felt as if it suddenly had been branded.

The lotus on her neck was bright, and it seemed to almost have its own light as it pulsed.

"Goddammit," she swore quietly. "I need a bandage...but I can't walk around with one on my neck."

Hasushiro sucked in a deep breath, and she placed a calm hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto. Unlike its user, the zanpakuto was calm. Eventually, the lotus etched into her skin faded away, and Hasushiro let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Tsunami," she patted the hilt of her zanpakuto. "What would I do without you?"

"Well, it's time to go to sleep," Hasushiro spun around. "I've got an important appointment to keep tomorrow."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A naked attractive dark-skinned woman pulled on the shirt and pants fluidly and carelessly, much to the half-regretful and half-eager redheaded young man who had turned with his face on fire.

"You done changin' yet?" the boy asked roughly. "Really, what's wrong with you? Can't you get used to wearing regular clothes or something?"

"You always act like you hate it," the woman purred, hanging her arm around his neck almost seductively. "But, you _like_ seeing me naked, don't you? Or would you prefer Orihime more?"

The boy swallowed, and leapt away, "I've gotta go start training. Get that stupid doll out here."

"You better hurry, Ichigo," the woman replied. "It's your second day. I can't extend this beyond the three day time limit."

"I'll get it soon," he replied, he unwrapped the zanpakuto. "C'mon, old man Zangetsu. Gimme your worst!" He rammed the hiltless, knife-like zanpakuto into a large white doll. Within moments, the scenery changed as the woman watched quietly. She heard a quiet flurry behind her.

"Yoruichi-nee."

Yoruichi turned, "Ah...Ren. You've finally found us. Why're you wearing that mask?"

"Kisuke-jii told me to not let any of the ryoka see my face. Very few people have seen my face since I've gotten here." The new comer's neck and bottom half of the face were covered, and her hair was up in a long ponytail. She wore the normal shinigami uniform and a zanpakuto with a lotus hilt design hung from her waist. .

Yoruichi's hands touched the newcomer's neck. "May I?"

Ren nodded, and Yoruichi lifted the mask. A blue lotus was clearly on her skin.

"What name are you going by right now?" Yoruichi asked.

"Hasushiro," Ren pulled the mask down to cover her neck. "It's so hard wearing this stupid thing while I'm fighting! When I-chan and his crew landed on Seireitei a few days ago, I had to pull this on and run around. This stupid eleventh division idiots nearly knocked me out with their smell. And then I got cornered! I had to release my shikai to knock a bunch of them out to get home in time for dinner. Thank goodness I remembered to bring Tsunami. Anyways, what's going on right now?"

"The rest of them got locked up. Ishida... he's lost his Quincy powers."

Ren's eyes widened, "Ishida-kun lost... but–"

"He went all out going against Mayuri," Yoruichi answered. "As for Ichigo... you can see what he's doing. Kisuke thinks he'll get his bankai in three days."

Ren frowned beneath the mask, "How come he never let me try that?"

Yoruichi smiled slightly, "Ren, you had time. Ichigo doesn't. Rukia's going to get executed in less than a week, not a year. Besides, if we don't take action soon, _he'll_ get it."

Ren nodded, "Well, what else do you need me for? Want me to break the others out?"

Yoruichi shook her head, "No need. Seems as if they're being well taken care of. What about you? Have you visited the grave yet?"

Ren grinned, "It felt weird... looking at my own grave. I had to sneak out for that. Bya-kun was at work. By the way, do you have that thing?"

"Right here," Yoruichi pulled out a small box. "Kisuke says that one's going to be enough for a person. How many do you need?"

Ren calculated for a moment, "I can only think of three. One for Bya-kun, one for the old guy that watches the house, and one for Retsu-sempai. How's it going to work?"

"It'll act as a sleeping pill while they lose the memories that you want them to and get replaced by something else. I'm not all that sure myself. Kisuke just told me the basics and to give it to you before you had to leave."

"Ne, Yoruichi-nee," Ren spoke quietly. "Do I really have to leave?"

"You don't want to go home?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

"It's not that," Ren replied quickly. "It's just... I want to stay with Bya-kun a little longer."

"Ren, Kisuke says your brother's starting to get suspicious. The mod soul isn't exactly the best soul replacement in the world. I know that you really loved Byakuya before, but you have to force yourself to let go," Yoruichi tried to sound as rational as she could. But, even so, her mind's eye conjured up the image of a young girl. The young girl who had replaced her when she had helped Kisuke all those years ago. Soi Fong had grown up to be a talented young woman.

"There's still so much I can do though," Ren whispered. "I want to help him! I hate watching him suffer like this. I still haven't seen Shiro-chan! And, Aizen! I want my revenge!"

Yoruichi held Ren's face in her hands, "Ren, I know how you feel. I came and left from here too. This _is_ my home. But we can do much more good in the other world than staying here the entire time. You came here to help Ichigo and his friends. After you help them here, there will still be much to be done when you get back to Karakura."

Ren nodded, "Yes...nee-sama."

Yoruichi pinched Ren's cheek gently. "Don't you 'nee-sama' me when you're feeling rebellious. Trust me, Ren. You'll have plenty of more opportunities to see Byakuya. Anyways, he almost tried to kill Ichigo a few days ago, so don't feel too attached to him. I barely got out of there."

Ren's eyes widened, "I remember that! I was watching from below!"

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, "If you were watching, I could've dumped that stupid strawberry towards you and you could've gotten away."

"Well, you know the situation," Ren replied. "I had to suppress all my reiatsu. No chance of me releasing my bankai right there." She shook her head. "I wish I could do more, but Kisuke-jii made me promise to keep everything a secret. Annoying."

"You've provided plenty of diversions for Ichigo and the rest of them while you were here," Yoruichi patted Ren's head. "So don't worry about it. It'll all be over with soon. The execution's tomorrow. We've only got one chance, and I don't think we'll mess up."

"You never know when Aizen's involved. His whole death...it must have been a trick. His zanpakuto maybe," Ren shook her head. "And what am I supposed to do tomorrow? I can't attend the execution. The majority of the captains don't even know I exist. And I want to do _something_, Yoruichi-nee. I'm tired of just sitting at home, fretting."

Yoruichi smiled ruefully, "I know how you feel, but there's only so much anyone can do. Anyways, shouldn't you be getting back? You might as well stick close to Byakuya these few days. We'll have to get back soon."

Ren sighed, "Sounds like a great plan."

Yoruichi patted her shoulder, "Do you know how you're supposed to get back?"

"Yeah... sneak into one of the portals that lead to the material world when my cellphone vibrates."

"Oh good," Yoruichi nodded with approval. "We were worried you lost it the first few days."

Ren shook her head, "Nope. Anyways, I'll get going now. Find something to occupy myself the next few hours. Matane, Yoruichi-nee."

Yoruichi waved and returned to watching Ichigo. If she had predicted what Ren was going to do, Yoruichi would not have been quite so relaxed.

* * *

Vocab: Matane is "see you later" in Japanese.

Please leave those wonderful wonderful wonderful reviews! Tabz-chan really really loves reading them!

So lately, I've been listening to UVERworld. For those of you who don't watch the anime, they sang two of the opening themes for Bleach (or maybe one of them was the closing theme.) I really like their music since it just always seems to give me this energy, and they always sound really passionate and powerful about their songs. This reminds me a lot of Suiren/Ren/Hasushiro (whichever names you readers prefer :) ) since, while Takuya sings, I can imagine Suiren fighting or just goofing off, or even just standing at her grave, sitting there and enjoying the view beneath her. Their songs really remind me of the raw energy Suiren has (just like a running river). This is one of those moments I knew how to do animation so I could animate something and put it with the music and upload it into youtube. Unfortunately, I can't.

Now, enough about songs that are playing on my laptop (Hisayo). Chapter commentary, I like this chapter more than the last chapter because it brings in Yoruichi and Ichigo, which was a good sign that I was catching up. I think there's also more action in the parts to come. It was at this point (I think) I finally managed to think of something more original that I could follow on my own. However, a lot of my stuff still depends on how the manga progresses, so it still may be slow. Meanwhile, during those moments when I feel like I have time, I'll insert side stories (sort of like a manga omake) that I think are interesting, and may provide insights to Suiren's past. They may last for some chapters, or only one. I'll probably label them so my dear readers can decide whether to want to read them or not.

Thanks for reading this chapter! And please leave a beloved review!


	6. Breaking and Entering

**6. Breaking and Entering: **

"Hey, Bya-kun," Hasushiro looked over her jasmine tea at him. "You know what the thing I'm most afraid of is?"

"What?" Byakuya also picked up his tea cup.

"I'm scared that you'll forget me," she said casually.

"What makes you say that?" he asked. Byakuya was slightly alarmed by her sudden seriousness.

Hasushiro shrugged, "I dunno. Just felt like it. Anyways...today's the day. Are you seriously not going to–"

"Hasushiro," Byakuya broke in sternly. "I told you last night. I'm going to obey the Central 46. I have the day off today to go watch the execution. Go amuse yourself. I need to be alone for a few hours."

Hasushiro gave him a doubtful look, but obeyed. She touched his shoulder on the way out, "Gambarimasho."

Byakuya looked up to give her a puzzled look, but she was already gone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ren now stood in front of the Central 46 building. Byakuya had pointed it out to her before, and it was better than relying on her vague memories from her past life. The building itself felt strange. Perhaps it was the material the building was made of, but Ren could barely sense any reiatsu from within.

No one was at any of the gates and the doors she walked past were absolutely empty of people. It had the sense of a tomb.

Ren finally slid open the last door. She had lost count of how many she had gone past a long time ago. And the thing she first realized was the stench of death. Her wide eyes took in the view.

Blood was splattered everywhere. The desks, the walls, the chairs, the floors. The corpses of the legislators of Seireitei were still in their seats. there was no warmth in the room. The massacre had apparently come as a surprise to them.

_Aizen!_ Ren realized. Her memories, no matter how faint, was one of hatred and disgust for the man. His false smile, his false sincerity, his false kindness–she hated everything about him. He was the only one who could have done such a thing.

She spun around when she heard something rattle behind her.

"Well now," a voice drawled from behind her. "Aizen-sama don't like intruders, yeah? And how'd a nice girl like you get into here anyways? Didn't ya see the guards outside?"

Ren recognized the silver hair, but the fox-faced man's name was not returning to her. She shook her head, "I saw no guards..."

The silver fox-faced man leaned closer, and grasped her chin, forcing her to stare straight into his face, "Well...don't ya look familiar. Little girl following Kuchiki-taichou around all the time, yeah? Must've been forty years tho', and I was pretty sure Aizen-sama got ridda ya. What's your name?"

Ren did not answer.

"What do you have there, Ichimaru-kun?" another voice came from behind Ren. "A stray?"

"I dunno," Ichimaru drawled. "She won't talk to me."

"Let me see her," the voice said.

Ichimaru released her, and held her shoulder, steering her around forcefully. "She looks familiar tho'. Like Suiren, yeah?"

"Oh my," Aizen's brown eyes looked down at Ren. "She _does_ look familiar. But, I heard Ichimaru-kun ask you for your name. It's rude not to answer."

His reiratsu made Ren buckle to her knees, it had grown even stronger over the years, Ren felt a drop of sweat slide down from her temple. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Aizen's cruel smile.

"So, your name?"

Ren bit her lip as she struggled to move under the reiratsu. Even Kisuke-jii, at his angriest, never released that much reiratsu so casually. She did her best to relax, even as Aizen stood over her.

"Ren."

"What?" Aizen asked. "I couldn't quite hear you there."

"Ren," she looked up. "Remember the name, because it'll be the last one you ever hear, you bastard."

In a flash, she had her zanpakuto out, and she could see her zanpakuto swinging down at Aizen. However, at the same moment, Ren was faintly aware of something warm and sticky trickling down her side and staining her clothes. Tsunami clattered from her numb fingers.

"That was very rude, Ren-chan," Aizen bent down beside her slumped body. Gin pulled his zanpakuto out from her chest, and flicked the blood off before sliding it back into its sheath. "People don't like it when strangers try to kill them. Come along, Ichimaru-kun. We have other things to do."

"Wan' me to finish her off, Aizen-sama?" Gin asked.

"Leave her be," Aizen called over his shoulder. "She may be of use to us later."

"Yeah, sir," Gin drawled. He followed the fifth division captain without another glance at Ren.

_Again!_ She thought bitterly. _This happens every time I try to hurt him. Why am I so weak?! _Now that the reiatsu was gone again, she could feel the pain shooting through her body. Ren had no idea how bad the wound was. All she could do was hold her hand to wear the source of the pain was and stand, her face ashen. She used her foot to flip Tsunami up, and caught it with her shaking hand. After sheathing her zanpakuto, Ren stood up, unsteadily, leaning against the door frame, taking one unsteady step at a time. She could only think of one thing. The spring. She had seen it on a badly drawn map that Kisuke-jii had given her before she arrived in Seireitei. It apparently had healing properties, but it was in the outskirts of the town. Ren was in the center of Seireitei.

Time was also running short. Ren's vision was beginning to grow fuzzy and the world was spinning around her. Nausea was coming and receding in waves. Her knees threatened to give away beneath her.

"Byakuya," she managed to whisper hazily before collapsing on the ground.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hasushiro-chan? Hasushiro-chan..."

Ren could feel herself stirring. The pain in her shoulder was gone, and everything around her was white and clean. She squinted, "Retsu-sempai?"

The motherly healer smiled at her, "Good, please drink this." She handed her a small dark brown bottle. Ren obeyed and nearly choked. It burned, but was amazingly bitter at the same time.

Unohana's hand patted her back gently, "Good, you should completely heal soon. Luckily, your wound missed the vital organs."

"How did I get here?" Ren asked bewildered. "I was...at that place... with all those dead people. And there were two men..."

A shadow passed over Unohana's face, "Aizen has escaped. I judged from your injury that you had already been at the Central 46 headquarters for a few hours before Hitsugaya-taichou, Matsumoto-fukutaichou, my fukutaichou, and I arrived."

Ren put on a confused face, "Who are those other people you mentioned?"

Unohana smiled, "You don't need to worry about them now. I have a question for you myself. What were you doing at the Central 46?"

Ren swallowed, "I...wanted to appeal for Rukia-chan. When I arrived, I didn't see anyone, so I just went in. But... were there any more casualties? Is everyone alright? How did this Aizen guy escape?"

Unohana smiled gently, "Don't get too excited, Hasushiro-chan. It will slow down your recovery. As for other casualties, some of the ryoka were injured, along with Hitsugaya-taichou, and Hinamori-fukutaichou. Kuchiki-taichou also sustained heavy injuries," at this, Ren bolted up, her eyes wide and fearful, "but I have had him taken care of. No one is in any immediate danger."

Ren let out a sigh of relief, "Where's Bya-kun?"

"A few floors up," Unohana answered. "However, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for a few hours until someone can come and check on you. Meanwhile, I will leave you alone."

Ren waited until Unohana left before getting out of bed to check her chest. It had been healed cleanly, and the only sign that something had been wrong there was a thin red line which was fading quickly. She glanced at the bedside table where her zanpakuto was leaning and her metallic blue cellphone. It was vibrating gently on the tabletop. Ren opened the door, and looked down the hall both ways to make sure no one was looking her way. The fourth division was in a flurry of activity because of the desertion of three captains. Ren found some stairs and began her ascent up to the third floor.

It did not take long to find Byakuya. His reiraku lead to a room at the end of a hall.

Ren slid the door open and stepped in quietly, closing it behind her as quietly as she could.

"I heard you were found at the Central 46," Byakuya said from the bed. He was sitting up with his nagajugan opened slightly. Ren saw bandages wrapped tightly around his chest and shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Ren asked. "Who hurt you?"

"One of the ryoka, and then...another captain," Byakuya watched her steadily and motioned for her to sit beside him. "So, why were you at the Central 46?"

"Business," Ren replied carefully. She began to twist a strand of hair around a finger. Ren took the liberty of using her hand to feel gently along Byakuya's chest. "How'd you get these?"

Byakuya pushed her hand away gently when her fingers rested on the bandages, "I did what you wanted me to do. Protect Rukia. Hasushiro... don't ever do that again."

"Do what?"

"Get hurt. You could have died of blood loss, even if the wound wasn't serious. Unohana told me how they found you lying in your own blood. Your reiatsu was so low that the others who passed by didn't even notice that you were alive."

Ren's eyes widened as she leaned in, "Are you...worried about me?"

"Of course I'm worried," Byakuya replied sharply. "If I wasn't, would I be saying such things? When I heard..."

Ren laughed, and grabbed his hand, "I'm happy. These past weeks, you seemed like you just wanted to get rid of me. Ne, Bya-kun... I really love you."

Byakuya was taken aback, and he pulled his hand back roughly, a faint pink spreading along his cheeks, "Just because I admitted I was a little worried, there is no need to get sentimental."

"It's not sentimental," Ren insisted. "I really love you. No matter where I am, I'll love you, so...try and remember that."

Byakuya turned away, "Such things are not appropriate for a shinigami."

"I'm not a shinigami," Ren answered, her voice shaking. "I've got one more thing to tell you. Before...I leave."

"You're going back to your own room?" Byakuya asked. "So soon?"

Ren hesitated, "More or less. But...it's something else. Bya-kun... I'm Suiren. I...I don't know how I'm supposed to say this, but... Suiren's me, and I'm Suiren. I'm her reincarnation, and... my real name's Ren, with the kanji for ripples." She felt as if she was frozen in place, waiting for his reaction.

"Suiren...?" Byakuya repeated. A look of disbelief crossed her face. "She...prove it."

"You never told me how she died, did you?" Ren answered. "She died in Karakura town, against a Hollow... in front of her fukutaichou, who is now the taichou of the tenth division. Her zanpakuto's name is Tsunami."

"Suiren," Byakuya whispered. He reached for her. "Hasu–Ren... why didn't you tell me?"

"It was...for Aizen. We were worried about what he would do if he found out she...I had been reincarnated," Ren grasped Byakuya's hands. "I'm sorry, I wanted to. I really did."

"You never lost your memory?" Byakuya asked. "This whole time...?"

Ren shook her head, "It may be too much for you to handle. I'm going home–"

"No!" Byakuya grasped her hand before letting go abruptly. "I...it would be nice... if you could stay a little while."

Ren smiled regretfully, "I'll stay until you sleep. Here, have some tea first."

Byakuya took the cup from her, his eyes never straying from her face. Was it his imagination, or were her eyes a little red?

"You..." his voice slurred slightly. "...drugged..."

Ren waited until he slumped forward, and she helped tuck him back into the bed. She felt into the folds of her nagajugan and pulled out a cellphone. It was a metallic blue and she flipped it open. Ren held it out in front of a sleeping Byakuya and pressed a button. There was a brief flash before she flipped it shut and tucked it back into her nagajugan. Ren leaned down and touched the tip of her nose to his, while closing her eyes slightly, "Sorry, Bya-kun. It's for the best."

* * *

Vocab: Gambarimasho is along the lines of "let's work hard together" 

Please please please please please leave a review!!!! I would dearly love it! Especially since I think this is a pretty pivotal moment in my story.

So, I meant for this to be a sad part of the story. It was meant to be a "painful parting" sort of thing. I'm wondering how well I handled the whole Ren is Suiren sort of thing through. Did it seemed rushed? I was aiming for a "blurted" sort of thing, like Ren just couldn't hold it back anymore and she really needed Byakuya to know. But, of course, Byakuya is obviously going to forget as soon as he wakes up.

I liked Gin's colloquialisms here. I based it off of what they did in the anime and I think it fit in pretty well. For those of you who were wondering, this is how I took care of the time problem that I had in WF. I mentioned, at the end, that Byakuya visited the grave under the idea that Suiren was still dead and etc, so here, he's totally forgotten than she/Ren are still alive and kicking. Also, to warn you all, there is going to be an "interlude" as ShadowAI titles them. Because I've basically caught up with the manga and need to slow it down, I'm going to be placing side stories (similar to an omake in a manga) to hopefully provide more insights to other characters and Ren. I hope you'll like the first one (which is coming after the next chapter) because I thought I wrote it pretty well (seeing how I rarely write stories in first person).

Again, please leave a beloved review! I look forward so much to reading them! Thanks so much!


	7. Return

**7. Return:**

"Ah, Ren-chan, if you keep moping around like that, you'll scare away all the customers."

"You don't have any customers besides shinigami, Kisuke-jii," Ren replied listlessly. "Leave me alone. I just got back this morning after knocking out that other shinigami that had an assignment."

"I'm sure you took care of the Hollow?" Urahara Kisuke pulled the brim of his green beach hat down.

"Of course," Ren answered with a heavy sigh. She played with the broom in her hands like a staff. "It feels weird being in my physical body again."

"You liked Seireitei then?" Urahara leaned against a post on the porch of the shop. "I heard you didn't want to come back."

Ren met Urahara's eyes, "Why'd you send me there? If you knew I'd get more of my old memories back–"

"You are more useful to us with your memories of Suiren," Urahara answered simply. "If that meant you had to deal with some heartache to save Seireitei, then so be it. It was necessary."

"You always manipulate everyone else," Ren answered as she got up heavily. "Did everyone forget me properly?"

"Of course," Urahara grinned widely. "Those pills were _my_ invention. They work better than what that Kurotsuchi could have invented."

"I wonder about that," Ren said in a bored and skeptical tone. "Is I-chan going to get back soon?"

"Going to pick them up a few days from now, I expect," Urahara picked at his fingernails. "As for wondering, what exactly were you wondering about?"

"Whether it was better than what Kurotsuchi could have invented," Ren answered, leaning against the broom. "I saw some pretty amazing things in Seireitei. Apparently, he knows how to give a zanpakuto a sex change. Some of the guys seemed pretty excited about that."

Urahara sat down, "My Benihime is perfect. There's no need for a gender change. Are you not satisfied with Tsunami?"

"I'm more than satisfied," Ren replied unconvincingly. She was staring up at the sky listlessly.

Urahara allowed himself a sympathetic smile, "How about this, I'll give you the day off. You've had a tiring week and a half. Go home. Your brother's come back for summer vacation for awhile. Get your mind off of..."

Ren nodded distractedly, "Can I still get paid?"

"You've only been here for half an hour, so, no," Urahara replied.

"Ok," she began to turn and walk away.

"Ahem," Urahara's voice floated discreetly from behind her. "Ren-chan... the broom. And, you left your bag inside."

Ren blinked at the hand holding the broom, "Right."

The walk home seemed long and lonely. Her gloom seemed to radiate and form her own personal sphere around her. Even the ghosts avoided her.

"Tadaima," Ren opened the door to the apartment.

"Okaeri," a voice came from in front of the TV. "You're back early, Ren."

"Yeah... didn't feel like working, so the tencho gave me a day off," Ren answered. "Did you just get up, Rei-nii?"

Rei looked up from the video game, "Yeah. Come here."

Ren obeyed and sat down beside her older brother. His black hair stuck up on its ends against his tan complexion, and warm brown eyes like Ren's peered at her with concern. His hands felt her forehead, "You ok, Ren?"

"Yeah," Ren answered. "Just feeling a little...weird."

Rei put the console down, "Why? I don't think you have a fever."

"A little...sad, I think."

Rei's eyes widened alarmingly and he shifted his entire attention to his little sister, "Sad? Gimme your bag Ren, put it to the side here."

Ren obeyed unthinkingly and sighed. Rei took the bag, and rummaged through it until he found the cell phone, "Is it because of a guy?"

Ren shot up, and gave him a piercing glare, "Rei-nii, give that to me." She reached for the phone. "You're going to check my calling list aren't you? I'll tell you now, if you call all my guy friends and give them threatening messages again, I'll throw you off the balcony!"

"I just wanted to check something," Rei answered, flipping open the phone out of the reach of his little sister.

"No!" Ren leaned over and tried to grab the phone. "Give it back! Now!"

"So it _is_ because of a guy!" Rei leapt up triumphantly as he scrolled down the call list, "I'll hurt the jerk! No one messes with my imouto! I didn't earn that black belt for nothing!"

"I've got one too!" she snarled. Ren grabbed his shirt. Rei absolutely could not see the photos. If he saw Byakuya–

"Who's this?" Rei stopped. He had gone into her photos. Rei held the phone just out of reach, and Byakuya's sleeping face seemed to fill her whole vision. "Is this the guy? Where's he live, Ren? I'll get him for–"

"Shut up!" Ren swiped at the phone, but failed to get it. "Give it back, Rei!"

"I didn't think you liked cosplayers, imouto," Rei continued while peering at the picture. "He's got a nagajugan on. Was he dressing up as a samurai? And this was just taken yesterday."

"Of course it was taken yesterday," Ren replied angrily.

"You spent the whole day with me yesterday," Rei replied sharply. "We went grocery shopping and you helped me clean my room, remember?"

"I snuck out last night," she snapped back. "Just give it back, Rei!"

Rei glanced at her, "This is the guy, then?"

Ren nodded miserably. Rei snapped the phone shut and handed it back, "He's a little old for you, isn't he? He looks like he's in his early twenties. You're only turning 16 this year."

"Just a little," Ren slid the phone into her pocket. _About 200 years maybe._

"It's not like you to fall heads over heels for some guy," Rei said gently as he picked up the console again. "He must be really special. Or just lucky."

Ren frowned at him, "I think you just need a girlfriend, Rei-nii."

Rei flashed his white teeth at her, "I'll get one as soon as I can stop looking after you," his voice was more serious. "I just feel like no one's the right one yet. And, if there is, I must've missed her. So meanwhile, I'll just concentrate on making sure you don't get killed with all those guys from the different high schools coming to challenge you. Really, you and Ichigo must have a record of challengers coming from different schools."

"I-chan and I are picked on by idiots," Ren retorted. "We don't go looking for fights."

"Yeah, yeah," Rei returned to his game. "You use the same excuse all the time."

Ren smiled, and she gave her brother a hug, "You can always make me feel better, Rei-nii. If a girl rejects you, they're just stupid."

Rei smiled gratified, "Go make me lunch then, to show your gratitude."

Ren punched him in the shoulder, "Fine. Just this once."

Rei didn't look up from the game, "So this whole week, you've been all weird because of that guy?"

Ren picked up a long knife, "Weird?"

"Well, for one thing, you kept going, 'Pyon, pyon.' I mean, it wasn't the first time you said something weird, but you just seemed...uncharacteristically bright and nice."

Ren paused, "Yeah...that was why." _Kisuke-jii managed to get Chappy then..._

"Well, good to see you back to your usual grumpy self," Rei laughed.

Ren smiled, "It's good to be back."

* * *

Vocab: Imouto means little sister in japanese. 

Please please please leave a review! I feel kind of sad that, even though I DO get reviews, there aren't just as many as Withered Flowers. I DO read the reviews even if I don't respond and I take into account what everyone says. I really value your opinions so please give it to me!

So, first, I wanted to say that the next chapter will be an interlude from Rei's POV. I hope the next chapter clarifies who he really is. And, the stuff about Kurotsuchi giving zanpakuto sex changes isn't a lie. He really DID have a pamphlet in an omake (side comic) in Bleach, and Renji even considered it with Hisagi. Renji was thinking about a Matsumoto-sized chest for Zabimaru (poor Zabimaru...).

So, this is a bit of a profile for Ren (http://img(dot)photobucket(dot)com(slash)albums(slash)v638(slash)TabzChewy(slash)Misc(slash)Ren(dot)jpg) The link is to an image of how she would look. Please keep in mind that I DID NOT make that wallpaper. It was done by a great artist on anime paper. I figured that this would probably be what Ren/Suiren looked like, except perhaps less murderous. I've finally decided on a theme song (this was actually much harder than I thought it'd be) and I settled on Shamrock by UVERworld. The lyrics really seem to match Ren's situation and attitude.

This chapter was meant to be a little melancholic. I'm not sure how well I did that, so suggestions here would be really helpful. And I thought that bit about getting Chappy was amusing. But other than that, I don't have much comments on this chapter.

I've also been hooked onto some of Gazette's songs (just a side note). I normally get freaked out by visual kei, but their songs are nice. And this one-line paragraph is useless...

But, thanks for reading Perpetual Spring! I appreciate it!


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